The present invention relates generally to loose leaf binders, portfolios and similar paper storage items and relates more particularly to a novel paper storage item and method of making the same.
Loose leaf binders and, in particular, ring binders are commonly used in the home, office and/or school to store one or more sheets of paper in an organized fashion. Conventionally, ring binders most frequently exist in either of two different varieties. One such variety is commonly referred to in the art as a xe2x80x9ccase-made binderxe2x80x9d and is typically made by the following technique: First, an oversized sheet of material, which is typically fabric woven from a natural fiber, is affixed with an adhesive to the outside surface of one or more stiffening members arranged to define a front cover panel, a spine panel and a rear cover panel. The exposed marginal edges of the oversized sheet of material are then turned over onto the inside surface of the one or more stiffening members and are affixed thereto with an adhesive. Next, a slightly undersized sheet of material, which is typically made of the same type of material as the aforementioned oversized sheet, is laid over and adhered both to the inside surface of the one or more stiffening members and to the turned-over edges of the oversized sheet. A paper-retaining, ring mechanism is then attached to either the spine or one of the covers of the thus-fabricated case.
A representative example of a case-made ring binder is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,441,357, inventor Wilson, issued Aug. 15, 1995, which is incorporated herein by reference.
The other common variety of ring binder is frequently referred to in the art as a xe2x80x9cplastic binderxe2x80x9d and is typically made as follows: First, a pair of matching sheets of thermoplastic material, typically polyvinyl chloride (PVC), are positioned on opposite sides of one or more stiffening members arranged to define a front cover panel, a spine panel and a rear cover panel. Next, the sheets are welded together, typically by radio frequency (rf) welding, around their respective peripheries. In addition, the sheets are also typically rf welded together along a pair of hinge lines on opposite sides of the spine panel. Finally, a paper-retaining, ring mechanism is attached to either the spine or one of the covers.
Representative examples of plastic binders are disclosed in the following patents, all of which are incorporated herein by reference: U.S. Pat. No. 3,572,957, inventor Strassberg, issued Mar. 30, 1971; U.S. Pat. No. 2,486,330, inventor Schade, issued Oct. 25, 1949; U.S. Pat. No. 4,583,877, inventor Wilson, issued Apr. 22, 1986; U.S. Pat. No. 4,586,817, inventor Moor, issued Aug. 15, 1989; U.S. Pat. No. 5,020,828, inventor Moor, issued Jun. 4, 1991; U.S. Pat. No. 5,607,246, inventor Podosek, issued Mar. 4, 1997; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,620,207, inventors Podosek et al., issued Apr. 15, 1997.
In general, case-made binders are more durable and are more aesthetically pleasing than are plastic binders. This is due, in large part, to the use of fabric for the inner and outer coverings in case-made binders, said fabric coverings tending to have a pleasant textured appearance and tending to wear better than do extruded sheets of thermoplastic material. On the other hand, plastic binders are, in general, less expensive to manufacture than are case-made binders. This is due, in part, to the relative costs of materials used to make plastic binders and case-made binders and is due, in part, to the fact that the method for making plastic binders is less time-consuming and is more readily adaptable to automation than is the method for making case-made binders.
Historically, however, plastic binders have suffered from the additional limitation that only certain types of thermoplastic sheet materials have been used commercially as the inner and outer covers for the binder. This has been because rf welding has traditionally been the most common technique used commercially to weld together the pair of thermoplastic sheets along the hinge lines and around the peripheries and because only a limited number of thermoplastic materials, such as vinyl (i.e., PVC), are amenable to being welded together by rf welding.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,219,437, inventors Moor et al., which issued Jun. 15, 1993 and which is incorporated herein by reference, there is disclosed a fabric covered book cover comprising an inside surface adjacent the contents of the book cover and an outside surface opposite the inside surface which comes into contact with the hand when the book cover is carried. In a more preferred embodiment, the fabric material is woven nylon or another synthetic material. The book cover includes two leafboards which are rectangular and formed by first and second stiffening members, each stiffening member when incorporated in the book cover having three outside edges which form the periphery of the cover and one internal edge. The fabric encases the stiffening members which are spaced apart on the fabric. A peripheral seam is located along and immediately outside the outside edges of the stiffening members. A pair of parallel and spaced seams running along and immediately adjacent the internal edges of the stiffening members maintain the position of both stiffening members within the fabric. The spine is formed by a portion of fabric which connects the front and back leafboards. The spine includes a plurality of parallel longitudinal seams which enable the spine to curl flexibly such that it is easily cupped in the palm of the hand. In a more preferred embodiment, the spine has a padding member encased therein and the plurality of seams maintain a constant amount of the padding material between each parallel stitched seam and thus prevent the padding member from accumulating unevenly in the spine. At the periphery of the book cover, a thin reinforcing fabric border may overlap the periphery of the inside and outside surfaces and is stitched into the peripheral seam.
Other patents and publications that may be of interest include U.S. Pat. No. 4,056,326, inventor Crawford, which issued Nov. 1, 1997; U.S. Pat. No. 5,127,786, inventor Cross, which issued Jul. 7, 1992; U.S. Pat. No. 3,454,694, inventors Delaire et al., which issued Jul. 8, 1969; and published PCT Application No. PCT/AT90/00068, published Jan. 23, 1992, all of which are herein incorporated by reference.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel paper storage item and method of making the same.
According to a first preferred embodiment, the paper storage item of the present invention is in the form of a ring binder. Said ring binder of said first preferred embodiment comprises three stiffening members appropriately arranged as a front cover stiffening panel, a spine stiffening panel and a rear cover stiffening panel. In addition, said ring binder comprises inner and outer woven synthetic sheets, said inner and outer woven synthetic sheets being positioned on opposite sides of said three stiffening members and being welded together, preferably ultrasonically, around their respective peripheries and on opposite sides of the spine stiffening member. Said ring binder of said first preferred embodiment further comprises a ring mechanism secured to one of the stiffening members through the inner woven synthetic sheet.
As can readily be appreciated, the above-described ring binder of the present invention possesses a textured appearance and other aesthetic properties along the lines of case-made ring binders and, at the same time, is capable of being manufactured with an ease comparable to that for plastic binders (and being similarly adaptable to automation). Moreover, because ultrasonic welding, as opposed to rf welding, is preferably used to weld together the inner and outer woven synthetic sheets, said sheets need not be made of the limited number of rf weldable materials, such as vinyl, but rather, can be made from a wide range of synthetic (i.e., plastic) materials, including, but not limited to, vinyl, polypropylene, polyethylene, nylon, orlon, rayon and combinations thereof.
According to a second preferred embodiment, the paper storage item of the present invention is also in the form of a ring binder. Said ring binder of said second preferred embodiment comprises three stiffening members appropriately arranged as a front cover stiffening panel, a spine stiffening panel and a rear cover stiffening panel. In addition, said ring binder also comprises inner and outer synthetic sheets, said inner synthetic sheet being a continuous film, said outer synthetic sheet being a woven sheet, said inner and outer synthetic sheets being positioned on opposite sides of said three stiffening members and being welded together, preferably ultrasonically, around their respective peripheries and on opposite sides of the spine stiffening member. Said ring binder of said second preferred embodiment further comprises a strip of extruded synthetic material, said strip being welded, preferably ultrasonically, to said inner synthetic sheet so as to form a pocket or sleeve therewith. Depending on the size of said strip, said pocket or sleeve may be used to hold papers, writing instruments or the like. Finally, said ring binder also comprises a ring mechanism secured to one of the stiffening members through the inner woven synthetic sheet.
It should be appreciated that the principles of the present invention can be applied to other types of loose leaf binders, besides ring binders, and to paper storage items other than loose leaf binders, such as portfolios, pocket folders, book covers, pad holders, mailbags and the like. It should also be appreciated that various features of the two preferred embodiments described above may be combined in additional embodiments.
Additional objects, as well as features, advantages and aspects of the present invention, will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description or may be learned by practice of the invention. In the description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part thereof and in which is shown by way of illustration specific embodiments for practicing the invention. These embodiments will be described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is best defined by the appended claims.